Thursday, October 27, 2011

The fate of Wisconsin's open spaces and clean waters is coming into view, spurred by Gov. Walker's fear of the recall, and the picture is darkening by the hour.

First there was the Voter ID Bill to slow registrations and obstruct turnout in cities and on campuses - - Democratic strongholds - - all to help cement a GOP long-term majority and to make recalling Walker more difficult.

Then the blatantly partisan legislative redistricting - - done so sloppily despite big payouts to drafting attorneys - - but, again, driven by fear of recalls - - that a Federal judicial panel seems poised to toss it because it disenfranchises next year 300,000 State Senate voters.

But facing a recall movement poised to begin in just a few days, Walker is now trying to ramrod through a compliant legislature sweeping bills to turn the environment over to private interests, allowing for incursions into protected waters, pollution of streams, rivers and lakes - - and especially carving up state law to carve an open pit iron ore mine in the Penokee Range near tribal lands in the Lake Superior Watershed.

Some leaders' conservation agendas are governed by fears of damage to the environment.

Walker's is driven by fears of losing his job and failure to deliver the goods to the people who helped push him to his 52% win.

His environmental plans, actions, goals and direction are now 100% political, so look for him to follow through quickly to revamp of the Department of Natural Resources, by Executive Order, into the business-led "Chamber of Commerce"-type agency - - his words - - he said he wanted current secretary and former home-builder Cathy Stepp to run.

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James Rowen's Bio

James Rowen, a writer and consultant, has worked for newspapers, and as the senior Mayoral staffer, in Madison and Milwaukee, WI. This blog began on 2/2/ 2007. Posts run also at various news sites, including The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel's "Purple Wisconsin."

Walker Penchant For Falsehoods

In more than five years, and more than 9,600 posts, this item about Scott Walker's penchant for false statements remains the most-read posting here. His updated score at PolitiFact: 27 of 43 statements have the word "false" in the ratings. Only 16 "true" at some level.